Wood Dale Park District

Board Report
December 11, 2018
Culture Assessment 2018

Barbara Berent, Nick Jochim, Sara Sepkowski

Elmhurst College
 Table of Contents
Background & Overview 2

Demographics 3-6

Age 3

Employment Status 4

Gender 5

Education 6

Overall Construct Scores 7-14

Work Culture 8

Teamwork 9

Communication 10

Mission and Brand 11

Values 12

Leadership 13

Turnover 14

Significant Differences​ Between Genders 15

Significant Differences​ Between Part Time and Full Time 16

Significant Differences​ Between Age 17

Open Ended Questions 18-19

“Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what 18

would your reason be?”

“What should Wood Dale Park District ​continue​​ doing?” 18

“What should Wood Dale Park District ​start ​doing?” 19

“What should Wood Dale Park District ​stop​​ doing?” 19

Recommendations 20

1
Background
Wood Dale Park District has been providing recreational services to the city of Wood​ ​Dale and
surrounding areas since 1967. The park district services sixteen different locations including
nature parks, water parks and pools, and a recreation complex. They provide programs for a
variety of ages in the community. They have youth programs for after-school, fitness, dance,
and athletics. They also have programs for older adults where they can be a part of and enjoy a
variety of different activities.

Overview
This report evaluates the results from the Wood Dale Park District’s anonymous Work Culture
Survey 2018, and it compares the survey results to the Work Culture Survey 2016. The 2016
and 2018 surveys were given in English and Spanish.

The 2018 Culture Survey consisted of thirty-two question items that were rated on a Likert scale
from strongly agree to strongly disagree. In addition, there were four open ended questions.
Therefore, in total, the survey had 36 items.

The 32 Likert Scale Questions where aligned with the following constructs:

● Work Culture
● Teamwork
● Communication
● Organizational Mission and Brand
● Work Values
● Leadership
● Turnover (2018 Addition)

The final four questions were open-ended as well as optional for the respondent. The items
asked respondents to provide information about 1) a reason for hypothetical turnover, 2) what
Wood Dale Park district should continue doing, 3) start doing, and 4) stop doing.

This report will present both the quantitative data from the Likert-scaled questions and the
qualitative from the additional comments and open-ended responses.

Demographics: 2016 Survey

The English version of the survey’s results were completed by a total of sixty-three respondents’
(N=63).

Demographics: 2018 Survey

The English version of the survey’s results were completed by a total of sixty-three respondents
and the spanish version of the survey was completed by one respondent (N= 64).

2
Demographics

Summary:
The employees at Wood Dale Park District tend to be between the ages of 16-34 or 45 and older.
It is interesting to note that there does seem to be a slight range of employees whose ages are
not reflected on staff.

3
Demographics

Summary:
The employees at Wood Dale Park District are predominantly part-time.

4
Demographics

Summary:
Of the employees that completed the survey, the majority are female.

5
Demographics:

Summary:
The majority of employees at Wood Dale Park District have a Bachelor’s Degree, Some College,
or a High School Degree.

6
2018 Construct Scores:

2016 Construct Scores:

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct scores are very positive. With a three being
neutral, it is easy to visualize that Wood Dale Park District is excelling in all construct areas.
Wood Dale Park District particularly thrives in: Teamwork and establishing their Mission and
Brand. However, the one construct where Wood Dale can truly invest more resources is in
Leadership.

While there are no significant differences from 2016-2018 Overall Construct Scores, there is a
positive trend for Culture, Teamwork, Communication, and Mission & Brand scores.

7
Construct: Work Culture

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Work Culture was a 4.0. The highest
scoring focal point was that employees do enjoy their work environment. Complimentarily, many
felt that they were treated with courtesy and respect while they are at work. And, to improve
this construct, Wood Dale Park District should focus on improving morale- which will be explored
later.

8
Construct: Teamwork

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Teamwork was a 4.2. The highest
scoring focal point was that employees are willing to help another department if requested.
Complementarity, many feel that teamwork is encouraged by the supervisor. However, the
departments at Wood Dale Park District can do a better job of cross departmental support
without prompting.

9
Construct: Communication

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Communication was a 4.03. The
highest scoring focal point was that employees feel their roles are clearly defined to them, and
that they can freely voice their opinion to their supervisor. However, many employees feel that
communication is not effective which can refer to: email communication, conversations across
departments, and conversations with leadership.

10
Construct: Mission & Brand

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Mission and Brand was 4.23. The
highest scoring focal point was that employees understand the mission of Wood Dale Park
District and believe that their efforts positively contribute to the success of the park district. But,
while the employees know the brand, the greatest area for growth is their personal connection to
the brand.

11
Construct: Values

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Values was 4.19. Fortunately,
employees outstandingly believe that values at Wood Dale Park district are important. However,
the area that has the greatest room for growth is that employees can continue to live the values
of Wood Dale Park District.

12
Construct: Leadership

Summary:
At Wood Dale Park District the overall construct score for Leadership was 3.75. The highest
scoring focal point was that employees feel leadership supports them and they trust their leaders
to do the right thing. But, while employees trust their leaders, there appears to be some distrust
towards the board as is evidenced in the construct’s questions. The open ended questions give
more insight into employees concerns on leadership- and areas for growth.

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Construct: Turnover

Summary:
Wood Dale Park District had Turnover added as an additional construct. The primary motivation
for the higher rate of turnover is the may be related to compensation, benefits, and being closely
followed by the lack of opportunities for advancement.

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Significant Differences Between Genders

Summary:
Wood Dale Park District had some significant differences in responses between genders. Overall,
men enjoy their work environment more, feel the leaders and the board are on the same page,
and feel satisfied with the benefits offered to them.

15
Significant Differences Between Part and Full Time Employees

Summary:
Wood Dale Park District had some significant differences in responses between part and full time
employees. Overall, full time employees feel more supported, and they are more satisfied with
the benefits offered to them.

16
Significant Differences Between Age Groups

Summary:
Wood Dale Park District had some significant differences in responses between age groups.
Overall, younger employees were more likely to help another department if requested.

17
Open-ended Questions

1. Hypothetically, if you were to quit tomorrow, what would your reason be?

Major Themes Based on Response Frequency

1. Not Enough Pay, Hours, & Benefits
2. Better Opportunities/Career Advancement
3. Retirement/Relocation
4. Unstable Leadership/High Turnover
5. Gossip

Open-ended Questions Continued

2. What should Wood Dale Park District ​CONTINUE​​ doing?

Major Themes Based on Response Frequency
1. Providing Great Program & Customer Service to the Community
2. Fostering Teamwork & Communication
3. Investing in Employees (training, development meetings, coaching,
mentoring)
4. Hiring Team-Oriented People
5. Supporting All Levels of Staff

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Open-ended Questions Continued

3. What should Wood Dale Park District ​START​​ Doing?

Major Themes Based on Response Frequency

1. Survey Community Needs & Advertise Programs
2. Improving Communication, Openness, & Accountability Between Staff &
Department Heads
3. Stabilize Leadership
4. Offer Competitive Pay, Benefits, & Incentives

Open-ended Questions Continued

4. What should Wood Dale Park District ​STOP​​ Doing?

Major Themes Based on Response Frequency

1. Board Involvement in Day-to-day Operations
2. Hiring Workers Unfit for their Position
3. Lack of Accountability for Leaders
4. Politics & Gossip

19
Recommendations

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with Wood Dale Park District. We have
greatly enjoyed our time with you. In the future, if you are to continue implementing the
culture survey, we would recommend:
● Focus on the reduction and formal discouraging of gossip. It is very harmful to
trust and can lead to breakdowns in communication and lower morale.

● Continue to foster and develop teamwork within and between departments with an
emphasis on older employees.

● In hiring, focus on potential employees who are team oriented and want to commit
to the position and organization.

● If possible, look into: pay increases, part-time incentives, health insurance and the
ability for advancement.

● Decrease leadership turnover. Constant leadership change is bad for morale, trust,
and communication.

● Encourage accountability within the organization by leading by example.

● Define a clear role for the board and their involvement in day to day vs. overall
operations. Defining this role creates a boundary which can allow trust to be built
between staff and the board, ultimately fostering more effective communication.

● Consider conducting exit interviews to gain insight on reasons behind turnover and
to identify additional areas for growth or improvement.

● Include N/A option for next culture survey

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